Immigrant Health Trajectories in Historical Context: Insights From European Immigrant Childhood Mortality in 1910

Abstract

Recent studies of immigrant health have focused on an apparent paradox in which some new immigrants arrive healthier than expected but exhibit poorer health outcomes with duration of residence. Although a variety of explanations have been put forth for this epidemiological pattern, questions remain about the socio-historical generalizability of the empirical findings and accompanying theoretical explanations. By examining childhood mortality patterns of European immigrants to the United States in the early 20th century, this study tests hypotheses from current immigrant health literature in a previous era of immigration. In contrast with post-1965 immigrant groups, European arrivals did not have better outcomes than their U.S.-born white counterparts. Rather, their rates corresponded to a "middle tier" status in between U.S.-born black and white populations. Analysis of post-migration trajectories returned mixed results that similarly differ from contemporary patterns. Many new immigrant groups had higher rates of excess childhood mortality than their U.S-born counterparts, but outcomes generally improved with duration of residence or among the second generation. These findings highlight the influence of socio-historical variation in the context of reception on patterns of immigrant health and mortality outcomes.

The Missing Mortality Advantage for European Immigrants to the United States in the Early Twentieth Century

“…Contrary to con tem po rary research that has fre quently found an immi grant mor tal ity advan tage, this study found higher mor tal ity among the for eignborn White pop u la tion in the early and mid dle parts of the twen ti eth cen tury. This is con sis tent with other stud ies that have found higher rates of child mor tal ity and over all mor tal ity for immi grants in the early 1900s (Bakhtiari 2018;Dribe et al 2020;Lieberson 1980;Preston and Haines 1991).…”

“…Mortality dif fer ences for the 1-4 age cat e gory are more in line with age and time trends, and the higher for eignborn mor tal ity is con sis tent with find ings from research that has used cen sus records to esti mate child hood mor tal ity (Bakhtiari 2018;Dribe et al 2020;Haines and Preston 1997;Preston and Haines 1991). Relative gaps in mor tal ity rates were smallest in the mid dle of the age dis tri bu tion, between ages 25 and 54.…”

“…Euro pean immi grants to the United States in the early 1900s had higher mor tal ity when com pared to U.S.born nonHis panic Whites, according to Vital Statistics data. Esti mates of child mor tal ity based on cen sus records have found higher rates among for eignborn Whites, rel a tive to their U.S.born nonHis panic White coun ter parts, in 1900 and 1910 (Bakhtiari 2018;Dribe et al 2020;Haines and Preston 1997;Preston and Haines 1991). By the lat ter decades of the twen ti eth cen tury, this mor tal ity pen alty appears to have reversed.…”

“…Available data sug gest that the mor tal ity out comes of Euro pean immi grants in this era corresponded to their mid dletier social posi tion. Estimates based on cen sus records from 1900 and 1910 have found higher rates of child hood mor tal ity among White immi grants rel a tive to their U.S.born White coun ter parts, although still sub stan tially lower than rates of the Black pop u la tion (Bakhtiari 2018;Dribe et al 2020;Haines and Preston 1997;Preston and Haines 1991). Rates of infant and adult mor tal ity were also higher for for eignborn Whites in early 1900s Vital Statistics records (Lieberson 1980).…”

“…First, the Vital Statistics data report deaths for all White immi grants, mak ing it impos si ble to dis ag gre gate by eth nic or ori gincoun try dif fer ences. Relative inequalities in child hood mor tal ity var ied by ori gin coun try and region (Bakhtiari 2018;Dribe et al 2020), and there is rea son to expect sim i lar var i a tion in over all mor tal ity. A sec ond omit ted var i able is cause of death.…”